Forelsket
by thebittersweetc
Summary: Itachi calmly woke up one morning knowing she was the one. Sakura, on the other hand, took a couple years to realize he was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Non-massacre 50 themes. [ItaSaku]
1. Morning Sun

**Forelsket** is the danish word for when you start to fall in love, the feeling of euphoria at the beginning of love. Could be summarized by the english word 'infatuation'.

So. This is my very first attempt at writing in english, so I kindly ask you all to give me honest feedback so I can learn from my mistakes and do better next time.

Forelsket has five chapters with ten to eleven prompts each. Hope you like it!

* * *

**01\. Twilight**

When his mission debriefing ended he had to refrain from sighing in relief; he was exhausted. It was only afternoon but he felt like taking a shower and skipping dinner altogether to sleep soundly in his bed after a long term assignment. When Tsunade gave him a knowing look, he accepted her silent dismissal and left her office in a hurry.

Itachi got downstairs and almost bumped into Sakura, who was currently standing right at the Hokage Tower's exit. She noticed his presence and stepped off the way, excusing herself with a quick glance towards him.

He was already a couple yards from the building when curiosity got the best of him and he turned backwards; she unsurprisingly was still there, eyes set somewhere in the distance, a soft smile on her lips.

Itachi observed Sakura in the light of the remaining twilight for a moment.

* * *

**02\. Burn**

"You have a what?"

"A burn. In my right arm." he repeated quietly.

She looked at him incredulously, aware that her mouth was a little ajar. She sensed that he was about to repeat himself again and lifted a hand, making him just stare at her this time. Sakura laughed nervously, raising from her seat and stepping around her desk to position herself in front of him.

She accessed his wound with chakra.

"I thought Uchiha were immune to fire." she jokingly said.

"… me too." he responded, amused.

Sakura briefly looked up from her work to his face and smiled a little; she could see in his eyes that he had not taken her seriously at all, thank god; he didn't need to know that part of her actually believed that.

"And," she started, seeing his burn was now completely healed. "I thought Uchiha really hated hospitals."

He stared at his right arm for a second before meeting her eyes.

"… not anymore."

* * *

**03\. Silence**

There was no fire to keep them warm and the wind was unforgiving at lightning country. Itachi was used to the cold outside Konoha and his long sleeved shirt was everything he needed these days, but it was Sakura's first mission in Cloud territory and she was unprepared for the harsh climate; she had forgotten to pack a coat. He began to feel sorry for her when he heard her teeth greeting. A look in her direction confirmed she was also trembling slightly.

He straightened his back against the tree he was leaning on.

"Sakura, you should get closer."

"I don't know," she retorted, her voice a little higher than normal. "my misery won't bother you?"

Itachi smirked. "Not at all."

She hesitated only for a bit before hurrying to his side. Their arms brushed when she mimicked his positioning on the tree trunk but Sakura didn't mind. They remained in comfortable silence for a couple seconds.

"Nice… " she stared up at the dense foliage covering their heads, clearly grateful for an extra protection from the wind. "It's nice in here."

"Indeed." he said while looking at her.

* * *

**04\. Secrets**

She recognized him by his hair when she approached her favorite food stall with Ino by her side. He was leaning on the counter, waiting for his order. She smiled when he looked backwards as if sensing her presence, greeting her with a nod. Sakura asked a suspicious looking Ino to make their orders before claiming a spot right beside Itachi.

"I'm glad you took my advice seriously." she said, attempting to keep a straight face.

He seemed amused by her choice of words. "… it was hardly an advice."

"Call it whatever you want, you're here because you wanted to." she looked at him, triumphant.

Itachi chuckled. "That's true."

She lightly touched him in the arm with her hand. His skin was warm under her fingertips, and immediately she felt her cheeks redden in response, as if ignited by him. Sakura cleared her throat.

"You'll see, their dango is the best."

When a plate with three sticks of dango was put in front of him, he offered her one but she politely declined. Itachi then lifted the sweet to his mouth, taking his time to appreciate it; Sakura almost smiled at the sight. He was quiet for a while and as she was beginning to wonder if he hadn't liked it, he said:

"Feel free to share your secrets with me again."

* * *

**05\. Blankets**

He was visiting his cousin at the Hospital when he remembered Sakura would be finishing her shift soon enough; he could greet her, maybe escort her home if she liked. Itachi quickly found her office and knocked two times on the door, waiting patiently.

When no one answered for whole minutes, he tested the doorknob and noticing it was unlocked, he pushed the door wide open. Itachi was in the middle of apologizing for the intrusion when he saw her figure on the sofa by the right wall, curled up in a ball and sound asleep. Her unique pink hair was a mess and she was still wearing a lab coat.

He sighed.

He slipped out of the room and backtracked towards the reception lounge. The girl sitting by the desk eagerly informed him that Sakura had just ended a double shift when he asked. Itachi also asked where he could find some blankets. The receptionist blinked a few times in confusion before giving him some instructions and directions to follow.

When Itachi got back to Sakura's office with two blankets, he wrapped her up with the warmest in his possession and seated himself by a chair beside the windowsill, tossing the other carelessly over his shoulders.

* * *

**06\. Linger**

"It's getting late."

She easily blocked the punch aimed at her face and used the momentum to regain her distance from him. She raised a pink eyebrow and glanced momentarily to the setting sun.

"Do you have to be somewhere else?" she questioned.

Sasuke paused for a moment and then relaxed his battle stance, slowly walking towards his fallen blade on the training ground's floor. Sakura took this as a sign that their sparing session was over and stretched her arms above her head, closing her eyes as her bones popped.

"I do." he answered after sheathing his sword. "I'll be hosting a… family gathering."

She didn't need to look his way to see his anxiety grow. Sakura smiled kindly as she stepped closer to him.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"Yes. Itachi won't be attending so I have to represent him and fatter."

"You'll do great, Sasuke. Don't worry." she patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Your brother will be proud of you."

When they parted ways, Sakura felt Sasuke's eyes linger on her retreating back until she got out of his sight.

* * *

**07\. Clouds**

Shikamaru was cloud-gazing in the porch when he approached the Nara family house through the forest surrounding it. The boy seemed almost asleep but Itachi knew better by now. He smiled slightly, putting off his ninja sandals before climbing the porch steps.

"Shikamaru." he greeted. "Is your father home?"

"No." Shikamaru answered without looking at him. "Why?"

Itachi seated himself beside him on the wooden floor. "Tsunade sent me to retrieve some herbs from him."

Shikamaru yawned. "Guess you'll have to wait."

"Guess I'll have to wait." he repeated, slightly amused.

"The clouds are moving really fast." Shikamaru lazily said after a while. Itachi looked up and nodded in agreement.

"They are. What that means?"

Shikamaru frowned. "A storm is coming."

* * *

**08\. Liar**

"Since when you're friends with him?" Ino asked her one morning when they were preparing for a mission.

"Who?" she asked distractedly while checking her kunai pouch.

"Don't play dumb with me." Ino responded impatiently. "I've seen you together more than once this week." Ino accused, adjusting her blond ponytail before giving Sakura a pointed look.

She tilted her head to the side. "Who are you talking about, Ino?"

The girl huffed. "Itachi, of course. He is the only guy you seem to hang out with."

Sakura made a face as she glanced at her watch. Kakashi was incredibly late, even for him.

"Stop lying, my teammates are all guys."

"No." Ino said firmly. "In case you haven't noticed, your teammates are boys. Itachi is a guy."

Sakura sighed in exasperation, cursing the heavens and Tsunade for assigning Ino as Naruto's replacement.

"Ino," she started. "I'm friends with Itachi since I became Sasuke's teammate."

The Yamanaka smiled knowingly. "No, you were colleagues! Now you're eating lunch together, smiling at each other from across the street…and don't even try to call me a liar, I saw everything."

Sakura was left so dumbfounded that she didn't even realize when Kakashi arrived.

* * *

**09\. Remember**

Itachi was unusually bored. He was out of missions roster due to a still healing wound on his torso and his mother had made an awfully great job of hiding his weapons and ninja gear before he got home from the hospital, knowing her son all too well.

Sometimes being a mamma's boy was a pain in the ass.

"You should be in bed." Mikoto remarked, not for the first time.

"I'm tired of laying down, mother." he calmly responded, taking a sip from his cup of tea.

She sighed, wiping her hands on a clean towel before seating opposite Itachi at the low kitchen table.

"You almost died, Itachi." she pointed out, her voice trembling slightly. "I worry about you. Every time you go through the front door I remember when I held you for the very first time, for it could be the last time I see you alive."

Itachi felt a pang in his chest as his mother started to cry in silence. He grabbed both her hands in his and tried to reassure her with gentle squeezes.

"I won't die so easily, mother. I promised you I would marry and raise a family of my own before I died, remember?" he spoke softly, gaving her a little smile when she looked at him.

When Mikoto quietly nodded in response, Itachi leaned against the table to embrace her; he grimaced inwardly as his wound made contact with the wooden surface but his face never showed a thing.

* * *

**10\. Gray**

"Found what you were looking for?" Itachi asked as she approached the library counter carrying three heavy looking tomes. Despite her monstrous strength he still took the books from her grasp when she got close enough and handed them one at a time to the librarian.

"Thanks." she responded, her cheeks reddening. "But unfortunately, the textbook was unavailable."

As they got clearance to leave, she quickly reached for her tomes. Itachi chuckled before starting to walk away at a slow pace, clearly waiting for her. She smiled.

"What did you get this time?" she asked softly.

He smirked a little. "Romance novels."

Sakura stopped dead for a moment, not sure if he was telling the truth or not. He pretended he didn't noticed her sudden halt and kept walking towards the front doors. She snorted, feeling the sudden urge to punch him for messing with her.

He was standing at the doorway when she hurried to his side.

"It's raining." he pointed out. She looked up to the gray sky, awed; a deep, musky scent immediately made her sigh. "Did you bring an umbrella?"

Sakura blinked twice. "… no."

Itachi's lips tilted upwards and she almost gasped when he closed the distance between them, making their arms fully touch. As reality began to shift around her, a classical sign of being transported by a jutsu, she grabbed his hand in panic. Hard.

* * *

**BONUS**

**00\. Fireworks**

She was sixteen when she and Naruto were invited for the first time to attend some ultra private and especial event held annually at the Uchiha compound. Sasuke had explained it was really a traditional festival to celebrate his clan's achievements throughout the year, and for all the wrong reasons she got really excited to accept his invitation.

She bought a new kimono, dressed up like a doll and arrived at his home fifteen minutes earlier than he asked them to. Naruto wasn't there yet but she didn't expected him to be either. She carefully leaned against a nearby wall and waited for her boys to show up, noticing everyone who passed by her and shot a strange look at her pink hair.

Sakura started to feel really self-conscious.

As she thought about knocking on Sasuke's front door, it opened momentarily just so Itachi could slip from inside, glancing at her before closing the door behind him. She politely greeted him as he stepped off the porch and stopped at her side without saying a word.

She suddenly heard a piercing noise. Sakura automatically followed it's source with her eyes and saw how the bright and warm colors began to lit up the sky in random patterns when the fireworks ascended and then exploded. It was a beautiful sight.

She momentarily looked at her side to see if the Uchiha was still standing there; he was, eyes set somewhere in the distance, a soft smile on his lips.

Sakura observed Itachi in the light of the burning fireworks for a moment.

* * *

Please don't forget to review.


	2. Pouring Rain

I'm honestly a little baffled by the amount of attention and love this story received. Just... wow.

Thank you for all your support!

* * *

**11\. Hand**

He was sitting on the doorsteps of her house, fully dressed in his ANBU uniform. A white mask with red markings covered his pale face, but she was completely aware of his identity.

"Sakura," he quietly said.

"Itachi," she responded in a whisper.

It was obvious by her tenseness that she knew already what he intended to say, and he couldn't help but grimace, questioning for the first time his decision to see her before his departure.

"I was assigned to a long term mission," he stated.

Sakura was standing before him, and as she took a deep breath, he almost reached for her hand. He wanted to reassure her with gentle touches that he would be fine, but he was afraid.

She slowly seated by his side on the porch, sighing in defeat.

"I know… Tsunade told me this morning." she played nervously with the hem of her medical apron. "How long…" her quiet voice broke.

Itachi turned his head to look at her.

"Months, maybe years." he kindly answered her question, hoping she would turn to look he in the eyes and just see all the things he couldn't possibly say.

But she kept staring at her lap, to her intertwined fingers.

Getting up, he reached inside his pockets for his standard black gloves and put them on. He turned his back to her and started to walk away, dragging his feet with every step, feeling utterly miserable.

"Come back," she whispered, and he stopped dead. "Come back to me."

Itachi suddenly smiled, raising a hand to softly wave her goodbye.

"I will."

* * *

**12\. Distance**

She worked her shifts at the hospital, taking doubles whenever she could and solemnly ignoring Shizune's warnings that someday her body would collapse from stress. But she just wanted to keep herself as busy as possible, her mind completely numbed and tired to even think properly on anything that wasn't medical related.

She helped Tsunade with paperwork in her free time as well, and even if her shishou did a great job pretending she didn't notice what Sakura was doing, she casually let slip too much classified information about a certain ANBU captain to not be really on purpose.

She trained with her teammates every day until exhaustion made it impossible for her to even walk home by herself. Sasuke always accompanied her patiently and sometimes even carried her in his strong arms, threatening to stop sparing with her if she kept showing up with her chakra half drained every night. She only smiled then, feeling too tired to argue with him.

And when Sakura was all alone in her bedroom, sitting on her windowsill and staring at nothing in particular, she couldn't help but wish the distance between her and Itachi would simply disappear.

* * *

**13\. February**

Itachi had lost count of how many mission reports and letters he had written for Tsunade over the last year, and every time he dispatched another one he inevitably thought about the only piece of paper he could never find the strength to send. It was always in his back pocket though, just in case he decided to send it one day.

It was a letter, for her.

He had sat down months ago to tell her about the winter storms of February and spring rains of March. Of the white fluffy blankets of snow all over the city he was staying at and the beautiful flowers that bloomed on his way to Iron Country. About how he thought of her almost every single day, of how much he actually missed her and only her.

Now, heading to a different location and praying it would be the last of his assignments so he could return home, he thought that maybe the letter was still in his pocket to give him a little faith.

* * *

**14\. Fill**

"There you are," Sasuke said when he noticed her.

She slightly turned on her stool to greet him and almost fell face down when the world whirled for a moment. She laughed and emptied the cup in her hand before waving for him to seat down next to her. She pretended not to notice his frown.

"Were ya lookin for me?" she asked when he was already by her side, dragging the words more than usual.

He looked at her and then to the bar counter, where she knew he could see at least three emptied cups of whatever she was drinking. She bit her lip.

"Having fun?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his soft-spoken voice.

She laughed again. "Yes, it's yar birthday after all."

Sakura called the bartender and asked for two more drinks. Sasuke tried to order his favorite since her taste was so girly and all, but one of her intoxicated smiles convinced him otherwise.

"Why are you here by yourself? Naruto is downstairs with everybody else."

"Ino is seated on his table," she said, rolling her eyes. "And I'm hidin from her."

"Why?" he asked, slightly curious.

She blinked and tilted her head, choosing her words as carefully as a drunk woman could.

"I had my fill of her pesterin me 'bout yar brother."

The bartender put their drinks on the counter and Sakura eagerly reached for her cup, but Sasuke was faster and grabbed her arm before she could even touch the glass. In response, she turned to stare at him.

"What r u doin?" she asked, a little outraged.

He frowned, unconsciously hardening his grip on her.

"Do you miss him?" he questioned, his voice oddly blank.

She blinked a couple of times and stared right at his beautiful black eyes; they were so similar to Itachi's that her chest began to hurt, her vision got blurred and her drunken mind immediately lost control of all those emotions she had been keeping to herself for almost two years.

"I do." she breathed.

* * *

**15\. Hold**

Itachi took a deep breath and fully concealed his chakra, stepping foot on Konoha through one of his clan's secret passageways. The Uchiha district was the same as he remembered, and his chest constricted almost painfully. He wanted to talk to his mother and hold his brother after nearly three years.

But he was also desperate to see her.

He jumped at the rooftops and used the night to hid his short sprint to a yellow-colored house in the middle of a civilian district. He could only assume she still lived in the same place, and when he dropped to the ground and raised his hand to knock on the wooden door, it shook uncontrollably.

He heard footsteps approaching the front door and for a long second, he prayed for everything and nothing at all. When the door opened up to reveal Haruno Sakura, his heart almost stopped. She was older, her pink hair a lot longer.

The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was right in front of him.

"Sakura," he said automatically.

Her breath visibly caught in her throat and her bright green eyes widened. Sakura stared at him for a while, completely flabbergasted. When she finally managed to take a small step towards him, so quietly he could see she was afraid he would disappear like a ghost, Itachi decided to meet her halfway.

It wasn't a surprise when she snapped out of her shock and all but jumped on him. He raised his arms to hold her and smiled against her hair, feeling his breath falter and her tiny hands twisting in the back of his shirt. Her body began to tremble with unshed tears as Itachi hugged her reassuringly.

"I'm home," he whispered without even notice.

Sakura shifted in his embrace to meet his dark eyes, a shaky smile on her beautiful lips.

"Welcome back." she breathed.

And the world seemed to stop.

* * *

**16\. Fire**

Naruto was practically beaming when she entered her kitchen with a stack of dirty dishes on her hands. He was humming a song she had never heard before, pausing sometimes to laugh for no apparent reason, and even though she was facing his back, she was one hundred percent sure he had that infectious smile on his face that was oddly strange even for him.

She tilted her head in curiosity and approached him by the counter. He jumped slightly when she dropped the plates in front of him, looking at her with genuine surprise in his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow in response.

"Distracted, aren't we?" she mocked, turning on the sink tap.

He chuckled, so embarrassed at being caught that his cheeks began to redden. Sakura had to smile at that. He was acting suspiciously for the whole evening and he hadn't even realized that.

"Just a little," he responded, trying to shrug it off.

Sakura, however, knew better than to be fooled.

"What happened?" she casually asked, pretending to be holly focused on her dishes.

"Ah," he exclaimed, glancing at her. "It's silly."

She bumped her hips onto his leg.

"Spill, Uzumaki. I won't ask again," she said half-joking, half threatening.

And so he did.

"I kissed Hinata." he quickly said, almost vibrating with excitement. "It was... I can't explain it, Sakura-chan. She is so sweet, but kissing her was like actually kissing fire." he said dreamily, looking at her with those big and sparkly blue eyes of his. "Not that I have kissed fire before..." he amended.

Sakura gave a little shriek and turned to face him fully, grinning from ear to ear. He pulled her to a hug and she giggled like a little girl.

"I might be in love with her," he whispered in her hair after a while. "I don't know what to do."

She leaned her head against his chest and sighed knowingly.

"I'm far from being the best counsellour available," she laughed, closing her eyes. "But love is a leap of faith. When you're ready, all you have to do is jump."

* * *

**17\. Tomorrow**

"You did an excellent job, Itachi," Tsunade said when she finished reading the written report of his latest solo mission. She minutely glanced at him with pride before passing the scroll to Shizune, who promptly put it on a pile next to the window to be stored later.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Itachi said as he deeply bowed.

He straightened in time to see her dismissing his gesture with a hand, lazily reclining in her chair while watching him very closely.

"Sakura," she called, the slightest of smirks on her painted lips.

The pink-haired woman, who was currently seated by a tiny desk near the door, looked up from the papers she was reading and stared at Tsunade.

Itachi frowned inconspicuously, suspecting already what the Hokage had in mind.

"Do you have anything scheduled for tomorrow?" Tsunade asked.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw how Shizune shot a strange look to Tsunade and immediately coughed to suppress a laugh. When she noticed he had been seeing her reaction, she only smiled embarrassedly.

"At the hospital?" Sakura asked, pausing a moment. "No, I don't think so."

"Good," Tsunade stated, her smirk widening wildly. Itachi closed his eyes momentarily, feeling a headache coming. "Itachi needs to redo his physical."

* * *

**18\. Closer**

He had cut his hair ridiculously short during the years he spent away from Konoha because his overall appearance was described in every possible bingo book and he needed to stay lowkey back then. Even after six months of his return, his hair wasn't even close to being shoulder length yet because he kept redoing his cut.

Sakura was, of course, very guilty of staring at him every time they met outside professional environments. Itachi did a pretty good job pretending he didn't notice her newly found interest for his hair but she always ended up blushing furiously when his lips curved a little too knowingly to be innocent.

"Do you prefer it longer?" he asked one day when they were walking side by side through Konoha's empty streets.

His question surprised her so much she would have stumbled on the ground if he didn't have his godlike reflexes and hadn't grabbed her arms to keep her on both feet.

Wasn't he pretending to be oblivious just a minute ago?

She felt a familiar warmth crawl through her chest and color her cheeks a beautiful pink when she noticed how much closer they were now. She could see those gray hues to his irises that made his eyes look so especial up close, but most importantly, she could see how comfortable she was with his touches, his constant proximity, and how she still blushed after all this time just because he was outstandingly handsome.

Sakura looked more than once from his eyes to lips before remembering she had yet to give him an answer.

"I..." she started before clearing her throat. "I think it suits you, this haircut..."

He hummed in agreement, smirking only slightly.

"However..." he said, probably sensing she wasn't finished.

"However," she continued, giving him a tentative smile. "I do prefer it longer."

They stared at each other for a moment. Surprisingly, Itachi was the one to break eye contact and slowly drop his hands from her arms. When he started to walk again at a slow pace, Sakura automatically followed after him, biting her lips.

She immediately noticed that he stopped cutting his hair after this encounter.

* * *

**19\. Heed**

"Mother, what do you think of Haruno Sakura?" he calmly asked one morning, siping his tea without a hurry in the world.

His mother looked up from the sack of potatoes she was peeling off and shot him a strange look, almost as if she wasn't at all surprised by his inquiry.

"She is a sweet girl." she started, putting on one of her secret smiles. "Very hard working as well. She was a little too... enthusiastic of your brother a couple of years ago but I'm glad she got over it."

Itachi put his cup down on the coffee table and smiled in amusement when her mother turned back to her vegetables to hide her not so subtle intentions.

"Indeed," he murmured. "And she is also a wonderful kunoichi," he added.

"Yes." she agreed, tilting her head to the side. "She rejected your brother, you know. When they were eighteen," she said as a matter of fact.

His smile only widened.

"I know. She told me."

Mikoto slightly smirked, setting her peeling knife and sack of potatoes on the wooden table. Now his mother was interested, he noticed, now she would heed the little details he was purposefully giving away for her to pick up.

"I guess you know her better than I do." she pointed out.

"Perhaps." he said, "I spend a lot of my free time with her."

"Oh". she exclaimed, a little surprised with his blatant statement. "She must be really special then."

"She is," he said, nearly whispering. "Sakura is incredible."

* * *

**20\. Heart**

Whenever he wasn't on a mission, Itachi had the habit of showing up in her workplace for a reason or another.

Sometimes he passed by to giver her one of his surprisingly healthy but delicious bento that made her eyes almost tear in gratitude. Sometimes he knocked on her office door to drag her to a restaurant of her choice, claiming she needed a break.

When the air shifted and the rain began to pour, she knew he would be at the Hospital's entrance with a big umbrella on his hand, waiting for her shift to end. And when there was no excuse at all for his visit, she would only smile and feel her heart flutter because deep down, she already knew.

She wasn't dumb, after all. A little too dense and oblivious, yes, horribly slow to understand the obvious, yes again, but she still could see things with some sense of clarity when they were right under her nose.

"We are dating, aren't we." she suddenly stated more than asked one night when he was escorting her home.

His steps never faltered and he didn't look at her.

"Yes," he said, sounding deeply amused.

She had to bit her lip to refrain herself from grinning like an idiot in the middle of the street, and when she felt the slight brush of his hand on hers, her heart skipped a beat.

Deep down, she always knew.

* * *

So, peachandbetty (author of A Book Worth Reading. Go check it out!) recommended MitsukiShiroi's Labyrinthine to her readers and I'm absolutely obsessed. It's my (not so new) drug.

Now, I feel like I have the duty to recommend something to you guys as well so I'll start with Amaryllis by silverfootsteps.

See you next chapter!


	3. Summer Breeze

First, thank you for your amazing support!

Quarantine zeroed my inspiration, but I finally managed to finish this chapter.

Warning: Itachi's prompts are all flashbacks and their real chronological number is in parentheses.

Hope you like this piece as much as I did.

* * *

**21\. Underneath (1.5)**

"Are you thinking about the medic?" Shisui asked seriously, spinning a kunai with his index finger.

Itachi raised his eyes from the book he was pretending to read, staring at his cousin's back with half repressed alarm; he _had _been thinking about her, and after all this time, Shisui still managed to catch him off guard with his uncanny ability to read him so well.

"Don't look at me like that." Shisui said, probably smirking. "You're turning the pages too slowly to be paying any real attention." and he threw the kunai, hitting the center of the bull's eye at the other side of the field.

Itachi sighed, shutting the book.

"She is quite skilled." Shisui continued, turning to face his companion.

Itachi was seated on the grassy field, shoulders a little tense.

"...she is." he agreed after a while, sensing that Shisui wouldn't drop the subject so easily.

"Haruno Sakura." her name rolled off Shisui's tongue, and Itachi's lips arched downwards in annoyance. Shisui's smirk only widened, almost turning into a smile. "She could be a great addition to our team on upcoming missions."

Itachi tilted his head to the side, thinking about the incredible showdown of skill sets they had seen from Sakura earlier, when she was sparring with her team on the training grounds they were occupying.

"Indeed." he answered, thoughtfully. "I'll keep an eye on her...to see if she's truly fit for it."

Shisui scoffed. "Of course you will, cousin." he picked another kunai from his leg holster before winking at Itachi. "Just be careful, she was trained by Kakashi-senpai." he threw the weapon, but before it could reach it's intended target, a shuriken intercepted its path midair.

He bemusedly looked at Itachi in time to see him dropping his right arm back to his lap, a smug smirk on his lips.

"Meaning?" he asked, as if nothing had happened.

Shisui blinked a few times, then chuckled.

"Meaning she is probably good at looking underneath the underneath." he paused. "You're doomed."

* * *

**22\. Hide**

Nothing had really changed.

Summer was at it's peak, and so was the heat. Sakura woke before dawn almost every day, hating to be in bed when the first sun lights entered through her window and colored her bedroom a beautiful shade of purple that, for some reason, reminded her of him.

She dressed lightly for the unbearably hot day ahead, tying her pink hair in a high ponytail, and smiled to herself in the bathroom mirror; she felt comfortable in her own skin. Sakura would go to her front door then, wishful sighing in preparation.

Sometimes, her silent prayers were answered when, on her way to the General Hospital or the Hokage Tower, she noticed Itachi walking by the awakening streets of Konoha.

On those occasions, he sensed her chakra nearby and looked around, nodding in acknowledgment the moment his eyes met hers. A tentative, full of secrecy smile formed on his lips, and she felt her heart beat a little faster.

They would go on their separate ways without exchanging even a word, or a second glance across the street.

People from her workplace complimented her smile ‒ that she didn't even realize was on her face for the most part of the day ‒, pointing out how excellent was her mood these past couple of weeks. They wanted to know why she wasn't so grumpy and being affected by the heat waves like everyone else, and since Sakura didn't want to hide anything, she always said, "I saw the most beautiful thing on my way here.".

Because everything was different somehow.

* * *

**23\. Flash (2.5)**

Itachi unceremoniously entered Tsunade's office, aware that Sakura was the only one inside.

"Itachi-san." she welcomed when he closed the door behind him, jumping in her seat a little; he had surprised her, apparently.

"Sakura-san." he responded, looking at her.

She was seated by a small and improvised desk near the wall to his left, beside a wooden bookshelf. Her short hair was loose, and it's color clashed horribly with the deep, dark circles under her tired green eyes. She looked terrible, but he knew better than to tell her that.

"It's late." he pointed out, glancing at the clock above her head. Sakura, turning on her seat, so she could do the same, sighed. "Why aren't you at home?" he asked.

She straightened on the uncomfortable chair, a flash of annoyance passing through her eyes. "Tsunade-shishou skipped work today, and she needs these papers‒" she pointed them out, harshly. "‒signed until tomorrow morning."

Itachi had to suppress a smirk.

"What about Shizune?" he pressed, closing the distance between him and her workstation.

Sakura snorted. "She is looking for her." she replied, making a face.

He opened his mouth to reply but paused when she started to yawn, hiding it with a hand while her cheeks colored pink from embarrassment. Itachi sighed to himself; he had to help her someway.

"Do you prefer tea or coffee?" he inquired.

She blinked a couple of times in confusion before answering. "Oh. Tea, I suppose?" Sakura tilted her head, meeting his expectant gaze.

"Unsweetened Black?" he guessed smugly.

Her obvious bewilderment was the only answer he needed, so he lightly tapped with his index on her table and turned to leave the room in search for her tea. Itachi was turning the doorknob when she called for him.

"Itachi-san, wait!" she said, quickly. "Thank you." she then softly added, and he heard the heartfelt smile on her voice.

He closed his eyes, still facing the door.

"Call me Itachi, Sakura."

* * *

**24\. Anger**

Sakura was feeling uneasy in her childhood home, and her mother wasn't making things any easier with her looks and questioning from time to time.

"What is his name again?" Mebuki asked from the kitchen, her voice loud and sugarcoated. Sakura rolled her eyes, seating on the living room couch.

Mebuki was like Ino, only worse; she acted like her daughter was still a twelve-year old girl, delusional about boys and the world. She asked all the right answers to make her feel bad for lying, except Sakura wasn't.

Her mother's condescending behavior was causing her anger to flare, instead.

"Itachi, mother. Uchiha Itachi." she responded, her voice a lot higher than she first intended.

"I've heard of him." Mebuki said after, no doubt, thinking about her next course of action. "Great shinobi. He is always on missions though, so I've never seen him personally."

Sakura wanted to scream. She wasn't dumb; her mother's implications were crystal clear.

"He has more free time than you think." she retorted, her voice more restrained this time.

Mebuki stepped inside the living room with two mugs on her hands. Sakura got up to take hers, quietly thanking Mebuki. Her mother seated herself on the couch, while she walked towards the window on the opposite side of the room to keep a healthy distance between them.

Sakura sipped from her mug and made a face; she hated lemon flavored tea, and her mother knew that.

"So," Mebuki stretched the word, a ghost of a smirk on her painted lips. "When did he started to court you?"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably against the window, staring at her mother in disapproval. Truth be told, she didn't know how to answer that and was buying time to come up with something. However, her hesitance was the ammunition Mebuki had been looking for this whole time.

"Oh." she said before sipping her tea, her voice as sweet as the drink.

Sakura was about to crush her mug in a fit of anger when the front door of her parents' house opened to reveal Kizashi, all happy and relaxed to see his daughter after weeks without a glimpse of her. She forgot about her mother momentarily, putting down the tea cup on the nearby table to all but run into her father's warm embrace.

His arms were strong and protective as ever around her.

"It's good to see you, sweetheart." he said, his rich voice embedded with love. "Sorry to keep you waiting with your mother." he added in a whisper, half jokingly.

Sakura withdrew from the hug and gave him a bittersweet smile.

"Kizashi." Mebuki called harshly, demanding his attention. Kizashi gave his daughter one last look of sympathy before turning to his wife. "Sakura is under the impression she is dating Uchiha Itachi. Please talk some sense into her." she proclaimed like Sakura wasn't even in the same room as her.

Sakura gasped, turning to face her mother with a red, burning face from the mixture of embarrassment and disbelieve; she was genuinely outraged. If it wasn't for her father's soothing grip on her right arm, she might have even slapped the smugness out of Mebuki's face.

Kizashi pulled her to his side effortlessly when she tried to escape his restraint and Sakura took a deep breath, calming herself.

"Itachi, right?" he said more than asked, raising his free hand to his chin. "He came to my store weeks ago." he paused a second to gauge his wife's reaction. Kizashi smiled then, his eyes shining with something Sakura couldn't quite figure out. "He asked for my permission to date our little daughter. He was polite and very respectful, so of course I gave him my blessings."

Neither Mebuki nor Sakura knew what to do with this turn of events, really.

* * *

**25\. Shame (6.5)**

"You're back." Sasuke stated after entering the room they shared and spotting his brother seated by the porch. Itachi turned to Sasuke, giving him a small smile; he returned it with an imperceptible lift of his lips. "How was your mission?" he asked, walking to his drawer.

Itachi observed Sasuke rummage through his clothes. "Fine." he responded softly. When Sasuke didn't seem to find what he was looking for, Itachi chuckled, drawing the younger's attention. "The blue shirt is drying on the veranda."

Sasuke blinked and looked past Itachi, where he could see his shirt on the clothesline. He hid his embarrassment and passed by his brother on the porch to step outside. Itachi smiled to his back.

"How was your day?" he asked.

Sasuke finished dressing and shrugged. "Fine." in his way to come back inside, he stopped right beside Itachi. "I'm lunching with Naruto and Sakura today. Do you want to come?"

Itachi looked up to his brother, shaking his head. "I will lunch with mother, but thanks for the invitation."

The younger raised an eyebrow for a second, saying nothing in response. He walked away with a light huff and was about to leave the room when Itachi sensed he had decided to touch on the subject he had been thinking for a while now, pausing in front of the screen doors. "You're friends with her now, aren't you?" he asked, without turning to Itachi. "With Sakura." he added in a second thought, not wanting to give his brother the opportunity to play dumb.

Itachi looked outside, to the beautiful garden that surrounded his house. "Yes." he responded simply.

He heard Sasuke sigh. "Right. Listen," Sasuke started, seriously. "She has this tendency to like idiots with pretty hair."

Itachi turned to face his brother; Sasuke did the same.

"Don't worry, little brother." Itachi replied, amusement dancing in his black eyes. "My hair isn't as pretty as yours."

Sasuke snorted, his face coloring a shade of pink.

"I'm serious, Itachi." he said, higher than before. "Don't give her the wrong ideas."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I said not to worry, Sasuke." he then lifted his right hand and undid the low ponytail securing his long dark hair. He held the hair tie almost affectionately for a moment before suddenly tossing it to Sasuke's direction, who only caught it due to years of honing his reflexes. "Give it back to Sakura. She must be missing it." he said without a shame in the world.

Sasuke stared at the offending pink hair tie for a long, long minute before finally leaving the room.

* * *

**26\. Adoration**

"Stop looking at me like that, Sakura, or I'll have to kiss you." Itachi stated softly, without taking his eyes from the onion he was chopping.

Sakura gasped, dropping the apple she was playing with on her kitchen floor.

"Don't." he said when she shifted to get off the counter she was seated. Itachi put down the knife he was using and wiped his hands on the apron around his torso, getting the apple for her.

She reached out to take it from his grip, but he ignored her, walking towards the sink to wash the fruit. Sakura caught her lower lip between her teeth, and when he turned to face her again, his eyes focused on her mouth with a familiar heat that made her toes curl.

Sakura felt empowered by his reaction.

"What if I want that kiss?" she quietly asked, looking in his breathtaking eyes with a boldness that clashed with the redness in her cheeks.

They had been teasing each other for days now, and Sakura couldn't quite grasp what was really holding them back. Their relationship was serious, steady; even if neither had bothered to formally _ask _the other out, they knew what they had.

A kiss was just a milestone on a possibly lifelong commitment.

Yet, for some reason, she felt like it would be the turning point of their lives.

"In this case," he replied with a soft, knowing smirk on his lips. He approached the kitchen counter and stopped beside her, his left arm brushing lightly on her thigh. "You will get what you want." Itachi looked her in the eyes; his expression of unguarded and pure adoration for her made her heart burst.

She closed her eyes and sighed, overwhelmed by her feelings; he chose this time to close the distance between them and kiss her. On the forehead, like he always did. Sakura smiled softly at the gesture, and when he started to move away from her, smiling as well, she grabbed his arm.

They exchanged a look that said it all.

_Soon_.

* * *

**27\. Waves (9.5)**

Itachi's first assignment after his life threatening injury was a simple one on the land of waves; he had to track down a rogue nin, follow him for a week and report back his movements to Konoha. It was a child's job, so having Shisui and Shikamaru as his partners said more about his willingness to appease his mother and Sakura ‒ who had brought him back from the realm of dead ‒ than his current ability to succeed on solo missions.

"What is he doing now?" Shisui asked distractedly, moving his pawn on the chess board.

Itachi closed his eyes to access new information about the target's whereabouts trough his kage bunshin. Sighing, he opened his eyes in time to see Shikamaru making his counter-move. "He is at the bar, drinking and flirting with the waitress again." he responded, as uninterested as possible.

Shisui chuckled. "It's all he does, apparently."

Shikamaru yawned, glancing at Itachi for a moment. "Why are we here if you're simply using a kage bunshin to do the job?" he asked.

Itachi opened his mouth to respond, but Shisui was faster. "I am here to make sure he doesn't get beat by some genins because of his wounds. And you‒" Shisui pointed out to Shikamaru, and then to the chess board. "‒are here to entertain us." Shisui made his move and smirked to the shinobi in front of him.

Shikamaru shrugged, murmuring something about Uchihas being tiresome. Itachi gave them a small smile and looked outside their rented room from his seat on the balcony. It was nighttime. He thought of Sakura, eating protein bars and taking double shifts on the hospital because he wasn't there to look after her.

"Look, Shikamaru," he heard Shisui whisper in amusement. "Itachi in his natural habitat, thinking about his girl rather than the mission."

Itachi turned his head to shoot a dirty look at his cousin, feeling his neck heat up in shame of getting caught; Shisui only laughed in response.

"Oh, he does that now, huh?" Shikamaru inquired, scratching his chin. In his defense, Shikamaru managed to keep a straight face for a couple of seconds, only giving up when Itachi seemed to blush.

"I'll murder you both." Itachi quietly said before closing the balcony doors to muffle the sound of their laughter.

"No, you won't." he heard Shisui scream from the other side, getting closer to the pane of glass. "You need your best man alive at your weeding."

* * *

**28\. Apologize**

She was at the Hokage's office, helping Shizune catalog hundreds of old mission reports, when Tsunade huffed angrily from her seat, crumpling the piece of paper she had been reading before tossing it on the nearest garbage can.

Sakura and Shizune paused and exchanged a quick, worried look.

"Tsunade-sama? Is something wrong?" Shizune asked tentatively, approaching Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade slammed her right hand on the wooden desk, making Sakura jump. "What do you think, Shizune?" she frowned to her apprentice, clearly not in the mood to be coddled.

Shizune gave her a contrite smile, bowing slightly. "I apologize, Tsunade-sama." she said, firmly.

Sakura knew better than to antagonize Tsunade when she was this upset, so she simply walked towards the garbage can and retrieved the file her shishou had discarded minutes ago; she had a feeling it was an important document.

"You should read it." Tsunade said, sounding quite frustrated. Sakura looked from the crumpled ball to Tsunade, unsure. "Suna requested our help. Your help, to be precise, Sakura."

Sakura pursed her lips, a nagging feeling of dread crawling up her spine.

"Something happened with Gaara?" she asked, hurriedly smoothing the paper in her possession.

"He was poisoned three days ago. The toxin is a slow one, but needs to be taken care of as soon as possible." Tsunade uttered. Sakura nodded distractedly, reading the letter from Suna; she sensed Tsunade wasn't telling the whole truth yet.

"We can afford to send Sakura right away..." Shizune said cautiously.

Sakura looked up from the paper and sighed. Tsunade turned on her chair to stare at Konoha's shadowed silhouette from the large window behind her. Shizune looked at Sakura, expectantly.

"They want me to stay there in Suna for at least six months as well." she said, mimicking Tsunade's previous actions. "Not only Gaara needs my help, but their medicine is outdated, their hospital a giant mess. They want me to fix their health system and are desperate enough to pay us a _ridiculous _amount of money in exchange."

Tsunade sighed audibly.

"How much?" Shizune asked her in a whisper.

"A lot." Tsunade said, crossing her arms below her large breasts.

Shizune gave Sakura a sympathetic look, but the pink haired girl wasn't paying attention to her; Sakura's thoughts were all about leaving her village behind, saying goodbye to her friends. To Itachi.

Her heart broke into a million little pieces.

* * *

**29\. Waiting (10.5)**

"Where do you see yourself in five years?" he asked her one night, laying by her side atop the Sandaime's sculpted head on the Hokage monument.

She sighed dreamily before turning her head to meet his eyes, blushing when she realized he was closer than she had thought. "I," she started, her lips lifting in a beautiful tentative smile. "I don't know."

Itachi shifted to lay on his side, wanting to giver her his undivided attention. He smirked and felt how she almost caught her breath in response. "I can see your future." he whispered to her, ignoring the warm feelings washing over his body.

"Really?" she asked, skeptical. "What do you see then?"

"A kunoichi, strong and successful. The best of her generation. Her name among the greatest shinobi alive." he stated simply, his smirk growing into a full smile. Sakura gaped at him.

"Itachi…" she tried to respond, but he interrupted her with a gentle finger on her lips.

"I'm not finished." he said. Sakura only stared at him with her big green eyes, waiting. "I also see a wonderful woman, loved and admired by her precious people." he added, withdrawing his finger with a light frown on his face; he didn't know what had possessed him to say and do things so bold tonight.

Sakura cleared her throat, and he saw the exact moment the wheels started to spin slowly on her head. She was still oblivious to the extent of her discovery, but the seeds had been planted; there was no going back for him.

It was just a matter of time before she stumbled onto the truth he had simply woken up to face one day.

She was the one.

* * *

**30\. Faith**

_Itachi,_

_Living in Suna isn't as bad as I thought it would be. _

_The days are warm, almost hot. The nights are freezing cold. _

_There isn't much to do here besides work, but Temari makes sure to drag me to her favorite bars and restaurants every weekend. She is nice, and I can see now why Shikamaru likes her so much._

_Gaara told me about Naruto getting engaged. Can you believe it? I cried from happiness, but also anger for not being there to hug him and congratulate them both. I guess I'll miss a lot more of precious moments till my mission comes to an end, huh?_

_How is Sasuke doing, by the way? He is not fond of writing letters, says it's too embarrassing, so I barely hear from him these days. He has too much of Kakashi-sensei in him._

_What about you? Are you taking care of yourself? _

_I worry about you every cold and lonely night. I keep saying to myself we've been through this before, that I should be patient and have faith. But I can't wait to see you again. _

_Being away from you is killing me inside._

_I‒_

_._

_Yours,_

_Sakura._

* * *

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a new (good) story to read yet, so I'll just recommend things I've found this year:

1\. Lindt Luirae and WhisperedSilvers's oneshots.

2\. Persephone by Adonisia.

3\. Sariasprincy (Cold Hands and Hot Kisses, Nightmare in Red…pure gold)

Now, I'm curious. What is your favorite ItaSaku fanfiction, like, EVER?

Mine is Vespertine by Cynchick. *chef's kiss*


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